Raising your final gravity

[gio]

I often brew Belgian quads that typically have a OG of 1.088-1.096 or so and a FG of 1.010-1.018. Next weekend I want to try to clone my favorite quad, Pannepot Old Fisherman's Ale. I don't have a recipe but I know the OG is 1.100 and the FG is 1.025 making a 10% ABV beer. That is a bit high for a quad, especially since they usually contain quite a bit of sugar.


I'm wondering what I can do to make sure I get a high final gravity. First, I know I can use less sugar (I'll probably use a mixture of D2 and amber belgian candi sugar) but this beer has a very complex flavor which much come from quite a bit of D2 (it's very similar to Rochefort). The other thing I was thinking of doing was mashing at a higher temperature than normal. For my Rochefort clone (FG of 1.018), I do a decoction mash with a rest at 153. Perhaps mashing at 155 would lower the fermentability of the wort a little making for a beer with a high FG? Will this be enough? Is there anything else I can do to raise the FG?

 

[Pappers_]

For what its worth, I've done mashes up to 157.

Do you think the high final gravity might be related to the yeast giving out? That the environment is too alcoholic for them?

I'm not familiar with Old Fisherman's, so am only speculating, but they might be adding more crystal or caramel malts?

Finally, this would not be in style at all, but you can raise the final gravity with lactose. It doesn't, in my experience, make the beer 'sweet' but rather gives it a fuller mouthfeel.

 

[gio]

I've never used it before, but CaraPils (dextrin malt) is supposed to raise the FG and add more body while not adding color. Since this is a dark beer would using CaraVienna or CaraMunich work just as well? Or is CaraPils extra non-fermentable for some reason?

 

[cyraxx]

CaraVienna and CaraMunich will definitely add flavor and color to the beer, which you may or may not want. I've only had the pleasure of trying Pannepot once, but it was during a tasting and I didn't have a chance to try and think out what the recipe would be. If you can fold them into your recipe and you think it would add characteristics you'd want, go ahead.

CaraPils is made in the same manner as other Crystal malts, but it's kilned at a lower temperature so the color is super light (~2L iirc). I believe it's made to not add much extra flavor (akin to a base malt) but to still add the unfermentable sugars of a Crystal malt.

Just adding some on top of your recipe would probably work, but you'd wind up with a higher OG. I think if you replace some of your base malt (I'm assuming Pannepot is pils based) with CaraPils then you'd probably be able to hit the same OG with a higher FG. This in conjunction with mashing warmer should be able to get you where you want.